


Cappuccino Dates

by RaspberryDevil



Category: Fire Emblem Echoes: Mou Hitori no Eiyuu Ou | Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, F/M, Fluff, Getting to Know Each Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 08:28:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13142835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaspberryDevil/pseuds/RaspberryDevil
Summary: "It's nice seeing her out of the flower shop once in a while. They talk about everything and the world. Laugh. She's a very social person he realises when Celica comes with them, Gray and Tobin joining along. Even if it's a bit embarrassing when Celica mentions how he used to say that boys don't wear flower crowns."The first impression Alm has of Clair could be better, but it's not worse enough to refuse her invitation. And what's better than to become friends over weekly meetings at the nearest café?





	Cappuccino Dates

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays, rainyau! I'm glad that I got the chance to write some Alm/Clair for you because they were on my to-do list for a while! Added some Python/Lukas in the background to include more from your list. If I find the time I'd love to do the patching up after battle prompt as well, but for today have some modern au with Alm working in a flower shop. I hope you'll like it!

During work, he meets her brother first.

 

'I like flowers', Clive says and Alm who's on his shift just agrees, says 'they are nice', and this leads to a discussion about the season he's looking forward to the most, including his favourite flowers and how important it is to tend to each kind of flower individually. Alm doesn't really get it but Clive is polite and he has something about him that he respects. He's a bit flustered when Python comes to him afterwards and wonders what he'd talk about with a future CEO, not considering to leave for a new job, is he?

 

“Just joking”, Python adds, patting his back, “he comes here often and is a kind guy. Someone you'd like to work for. If you don't mind some effort.”

 

(It sounds like there is more behind it and when Alm meets his best friend Forsyth who works for Clive the first time, he kind of understands.)

 

Clair leaves a completely different first impression.

 

To be honest, when he spots the young women walking in, her heels clicking on the floor, he's a bit on edge. She looks like she came from a meeting, wearing a light blue blouse with a bow and a dark pair of trousers, ready to go to another one, only stopping by for a few minutes. And people who are in a hurry can be pretty exhausting. However when she talks, he's just confused.

 

“I need to be nice to someone I hate so I need to show them without telling them directly how stupid they are”, is the first thing she says to him behind the counter, hands on her hips.

 

“I see. That seems... complicated.”

 

“Businessman”, is all she says and looks at him expectantly.

 

Alm nods understandingly, but he isn't so sure what to say. After all these months he thought that he was used to customers and their... remarks. Apparently, sometimes they could still surprise him.

 

“And? What kind of flowers look pretty but not too pretty and say 'I hate you and what you stand for'?”, she wants to know.

 

“I don't know?”, he confesses, aware that admitting not to have knowledge about something can help, though phrasing it more like a question because honestly, he isn't sure what he was even supposed to know in the first place.

 

“You're working in a flower shop.”

 

Somehow, it makes click. So that's what she was aiming for. Flower language. At least this helped him to figure out what to do, even if she wouldn't like to hear it.

 

“Yes. But we arrange flowers in consideration to how fitting they are and complement each other, not in regards to their meaning. I mean nobody would disagree that a rose means I love you, but...”

 

She raises an eyebrow, arms crossed in front of her chest. As expected, but he doesn't let it bother him and comes from behind the counter to face her.

 

“I can make something which is pretty but doesn't show variety in flowers with just one colour? A small thing?”

 

Actually he wouldn't buy a man like she described flowers at all, but he was here to do his job and sell them, not shoo customers away. Not that he really understood this whole business thing either. She hums when she hears his suggestion, thinking about it, before nodding.

 

“Make it as inexpensive as you can.”

 

Alm tries not to laugh and in the end this is probably the weirdest encounter he ever had. He feels a bit drained when she pays and leaves, even it it hadn't been more than fifteen minutes. Also as if on cue, Python comes out once she's gone. He looks amused and Alm soon finds out why. Unfortunately.

 

“Wasn't that Clive's little sister?”

 

“Oh.”

 

“You really attract all sorts of people”, he says with a little laugh.

 

Even if Alm is used to his remarks by now, he doesn't know what to say. Thankfully Lukas comes to his aid, proving once more why he respects him.

 

“If you were properly working than he wouldn't have to talk to every costumer.”

 

Them and their bickering. This time that's his cue to leave. Alm learned that, at some point, they get lost in their own world and he doesn't want to get between them. Some adults were weird.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Clair comes in the next day again and looks troubled. Alm wonders if the meeting with said man had gone wrong but wasn't sure if asking was appropriate. Well, considering his first impression of her, it was worth a try. But she beats him to it.

 

“I wanted to apologise”, she says, much to his surprise, “My brother informed me that I wasn't behaving properly. He also said that if I buy something cheap I should have thanked you for your input and work by buying something more expansive.”

 

Alm isn't sure how to reply to that. He didn't learn what to do in cases like these, so his first instinct is to simply tell her that she hasn't done anything wrong.

 

“Don't worry if you haven't got the money you –”

 

“Oh, I do have but I don't want to spend it on a worm. He's glad that my brother taught me some etiquette otherwise I would have told him how utterly disgusting his whole existence was.”

 

“Clair”, Lukas says from behind, eavesdropping (something which used to irritate Alm but which he was now grateful for), “you interrupted him.”

 

She actually looks ashamed. Nevertheless she only shortly averts her glance and when she faces Alm again, looks him directly in the eyes.

 

“I'm sorry, I lose myself when I get angry about men like him. No respect for other people but demand to be respected.”

 

“Don't worry, I understand your feelings.”

 

Partly, at least. She shakes her head.

 

“This can't do. Make me something nice for my brother. Ah, yes, and for a friend. Choice is yours.”

 

“You make it more difficult for him like this. Even if you think you're being nice”, Lukas interferes again; Alm clears his throat.

 

“What about your favourite flowers? Or the ones your brother tends to?”

 

“I'm afraid I don't know what he likes...”

 

She looks embarrassed. It's the first time she doesn't look him in the eyes while speaking. Alm doesn't mind. Now his knowledge came to good use; bless Clive for being so talkative and passionate about a topic he likes.

 

“I'll show you some flowers and you say yes or no.”

 

She smiles.

 

“Yes, this sounds lovely, thank you.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

The thing is, Alm has a lot of customers he berates. At first there shouldn't be anything special about Clair and he files her in the 'amusing yet exhausting customer' part of his memory. But since his boss seems to know her and Python is closer linked to her family when he first assumed, she becomes a topic once in a while again. Not to mention that Clive is still a regular customer.

 

However before he meets him again, he sees her outside the flower shop for the first time when he goes shopping with Gray and Tobin.

 

“My brother was really happy about the flowers. Thank you again” she greets him like there was nothing weird about it; Alm ignores the curious looks from his friends.

 

“I'm glad. Feel free to come again soon.”

 

She chuckles, but looks more amused than irritated that he used his customer voice with her. (Even if it was a reflex to answer, he wasn't really lying.)

 

“You really are a nice guy, aren't you?”

 

He tilts his head to the side, but she just chuckles, her hand covering her mouth before she bids him farewell. What a curious women.

 

“Wow, that was a pretty one. How did you meet her?”, Gray wants to know, ignoring the look Tobin shots him.

 

“Clair? Just a customer”, he replies, as if it was the most obvious thing, confused when Gray sighs and tells him how lucky he is; Tobin just rolls with his eyes.

 

 

* * *

 

 

He meets her again, this time alone.

 

“May I invite you to a coffee?”, she asks in the middle of the street, an umbrella shielding her from the rain, just like Alm.

 

“Sure.”

 

He didn't plan anything for the rest of the day and the thought of a warm café sounds promising. It's a nice place she leads him to, nothing fancy like he expected someone like here would go to. However when she says that a friend recommended the place, that she wanted to try it out, it makes more sense to him.

 

“So”, she starts once they ordered their drinks, arms propped up and hands folded, looking at him, “Tell me about yourself?”

 

Alm laughs. He doesn't know if she tries to become friends or start business. Well, making friends could be a serious business.

 

“I don't know what I should say”, he admits.

 

“You're not from here, are you?”, she asks and Alm wouldn't be surprised if Python or someone else had told her.

 

“I grew up with my grandpa in a small secluded town. We moved here once I finished my last year in school.”

 

“That sounds nice. Living away from the hustle of the city.”

 

He laughs lightly when he sees her dreamy expression.

 

“It's not as romantic. Mostly annoying since you're not as mobile. And it's always the same. I like how lively it is here.”

 

“How amusing. I lived here my whole life and it surely gets boring at one point. But I might get what you're talking about.”

 

They get their drinks and thank the waitress.

 

“What made you want to work in a flower shop?”, she wants to know, adding some sugar to her cappuccino and stirring it.

 

Alm wonders. Nothing special really. It's a pure coincidence that he got a job at the flower shop. Lukas, a former student of his grandpa, was the one who offered it and unsure what to do after finishing school, Alm took it and learned what he never expected to enjoy. Once or twice the thought of going to university crossed his mind, but at the end of the day he's happy with his current choice. He tells her as much.

 

“What about you?”

 

“Oh, me? I'm studying Human Resource Management.”

 

“That's nice. I'm sure you can do this.”

 

She chuckles. Alm isn't sure if she realised that he has no idea what this means or not. Not that this changes the fact that he is impressed.

 

“Even though you don't know me that long?”

 

“You just give me that impression.”

 

She smiles. Alm thinks it suits her.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It's nice seeing her out of the flower shop once in a while. They talk about everything and the world. Laugh. She's a very social person he realises when Celica comes with them, Gray and Tobin joining along. Even if it's a bit embarrassing when Celica mentions how he used to say that boys don't wear flower crowns.

 

“You're never going to let me live this down, do you?”

 

“If she does, we will remind you”, Tobin nudges him with a smirk.

 

But as embarrassed as he might be, Clair seems to have fun, saying how adorable that seems. Maybe, she mentions, they could do this as well in the summer. A trip away from the city, to a field with enough flowers. He might even teach her. It's a nice thought, spending time at different places. For someone who always wanted to see the world, he hasn't left the city that often since they moved here.

 

“It's a promise then.”

 

(Later Gray would say that they meant to crash their date but had unexpectedly fun with all of them in the group.

 

Alm tries to correct him and say it was not a date.

 

Tobin just laughs.)

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“And there is this guy named Berkut who I unfortunately have to admit is not dumb but he has so many ideas I just want to-”

 

She finishes her rant with a dismissive hand gesture.

 

It's late in the evening and the two met up after Clair had a lecture, when she called him and asked if he might have some time. She hadn't outright said it and she probably wouldn't, but seeing him lifts her spirit after an exhausting day. Though she did admit that she felt wonderful the last time, a morning spend talking about everything and the world.

 

“Sometimes you're at a loss for words as well, huh?”

 

It's been a few months by now and Alm is still amazed when he sees new sides of her.

 

“Forgive me, I said too much. How were you faring these past days?”

 

“Thinking a lot.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

“It's nothing.”

 

“Well if it keeps your mind busy I dare to say that it's not just 'nothing'”, she points out, reaching over to place a hand over his in a comforting gesture, “but I won't pry. I simply hope that you know you can talk to me any time.”

 

“I do, thank you Clair.”

 

He means it. Alm can tell that she knows.

 

(When she smiles and pulls away, he has the urge to reach out again and hold her hand. He doesn't.)

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“I get told that men and women can't be friends. Isn't this stupid?”, she mentions one day out of the blue.

 

“It is. Celica is my best friend since I can remember.”

 

“And what about me?”

 

He blushes. It fills her with delight.

 

“You are my friend”, he says albeit hesitantly; it's enough for her.

 

“I get confessions once in a while. From men who want me and expect me to love them. From a few woman who admire me. But I need someone who I can laugh with. Someone I like before I can love them.”

 

“Clair?”

 

She realises that she drifts off, sees the confusion on his face. She blushes lightly, clearing her throat.

 

“What I try to say is that I like being silly with you. You make me laugh and being with you brings me joy. And you don't mind who I am."

 

“It's when you're you and how you are that I feel happy”, Alm confesses, “You're proud, overbearing and don't give a damn what people think of you.”

 

“You're the first to say that in a positive way.”

 

“But I'm sure I'm not the first to say how kind you are, what a good heart you have and how compassionate you are.”

 

She clasp her hands around the cup in front of her, gathering some courage. When she looks at him, there is a faint blush on her cheeks, though she speaks with a confidence he adores so much.

 

“Alm? Would you like to go out with me?”

 

He doesn't hesitate to reply.

 

“Of course, I'd love to.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Alm doesn't buy her flowers on their first date – they would be a bother to carry around – but she seems happy enough about the chocolate.

 

“You remember”, she notes the dark pralines with delight.

 

“Of course”, he smiles, offering to take her hand; she does with a smile of her own, enjoys to hold hands on their way to the cinema.

 

Despite of the slight nervousness both experience, it feels like it always does. Only the chaste kiss she presses against his cheeks afterwards, thanking him for the day, is new. He hopes it's not the last time – he really likes her.

 

It isn't, even if uni or work sometimes leave them to rely on texts and calls without seeing each other for a while. But he is happy, ignoring Python's whistle once he finds out they are dating. Well, it's not his usual teasing, maybe because he know that Alm knows enough about his romantic life to return the favour.

 

(Alm really likes him and Lukas as his boss. But he lost count of the times in which he awkwardly waited in the sellsroom because the two lost track of time in the back room and weren't aware of his presence. Though he's pretty sure they don't know half of the time he saw them kissing during break.)

 

He does, eventually, show up with flowers, the red a nice contrast to the pink on his cheeks. She is blushing as well though.

They still don't know flower language, but Alm had been right – there was no doubt that roses means 'I love you'.

 

(But to hear him say it after handing over the bouquet meant more to her than any colourful flowers could express.)

 

**Author's Note:**

> This was fun to write, even if I didn't give Clair this much of a fancy speech considering the modern setting. Also worked a lot with the game supports, let's see if they are all obvious enough! :D


End file.
